ON IMPORTS FROM U.S.A.

Grey River Argus, 21 September 1945, Page 5

ON IMPORTS FROM U.S.A.

And from Canada TO SAVE DOLLARS (Rec. 9.50) LONDON, Sept. 20 The “Daily Express” stated: The Government has decided that Britain must do without almost everything that would involve the spending ot dollars, and that even the importations of essential goods will be limited to our abilty to pay for them in cash. Nothing, however vital or however short of it we are, will be allowed to go on the slate. The Government recognises that this will be a severe burden on British people just as they had been expecting a reduction in wartime sacrifices; but the Ministers, in presenting this decision to the country, will point out that it is essential, if Britain is not to slide and slip beyond her means so far as dollars are concerned. The housing programme may be slowed down because a considerable amount of the supplies of fittings, as for example the doors, window frames, and electrical goods, come from the United States and from Canada, which the latter now is also in the dollar area. This decision has been taken because, with a sudden end to Lend-Lease aid, Britain is very short of dollars. Therefore, negotiations at present proceeding in Washington where Lord Halifax and Lord Keynes are meeting United States representatives. These may ease th e situation. But the austerity programmestands until some new agreement has been reached. Certain goods, however, of which food is the most important will continue to be bought from the dolar area as long as the British dollar supolv lasts. Nearly everything else will be cut out. This inevitably means cuts in supplies to the public. Some of them will be severe.

The commodities which will he cut include tobacco, movie films, petrol, cotton, and machinery. A cotton cut means fewer household goods. Machinery is one of Britain’s biggest imports from the United States. A cut in this means that manufacturers and farmers will have to make do with old machinery a bit. longer. A petrol cut means that the austerity ration may be maintained indefinitely, unless oil supplies from the stealing area are stepped up considerably. As far as is possible, Britain’s spending of dollars will be confined to food stuffs. It can be expected that anything in the nature of imports of luxury foods will be eliminated. The British people will have to wait for an improvement in their diet, which they had been promised. Every effort will be made to increase the fold supplies from the Empire countries. Britain’s imports from Canada will also be reduced by the cut. Grea< quantities of paper are imported from Canada, as well as from the United States. This will affect newspapers.